On-street parking enforcement blitz angers Hespeler homeowners

NewsAug 10, 2011Waterloo Region Record

CAMBRIDGE — City parking police are targeting cars parked along Werstine Terrace boulevards even though they have no other place to park, two residents say.

The city recently approved “lower boulevard parking” for the east Hespeler street. That allows homeowners to park across the end of their driveways, on the city-owned concrete apron between the road and sidewalk.

It doesn’t work on half of the street, said angry homeowner John Friesen, who says he’s ticketed over and over again. Many houses on the looping street have shared driveways with neighbours — which doesn’t allow for the lower-boulevard parking option.

City hall ordered parking commissionaires to issue $21 tickets to anyone who parks across the end of a shared driveway, he said.

“I pay the same property tax as my neighbours. Why am I being treated as second class?” Friesen told city council Monday.

Homes on Werstine were built with short driveways and small garages. Most residents are commuters with families using several cars, he said. It’s about a kilometre north of the Townline Road interchange with Highway 401.

Werstine neighbour Robert Lanigan was also peeved by the arbitrary parking rules in front of city-approved, three-bedroom houses encouraging multi-car families.

Illegal parking on nearby streets is ignored while tickets fly on Werstine, he said.

“Council needs to have all the information before it makes a decision about how it will treat you and all your neighbours,” he said.

Council also put off a vote on expanded overnight parking exemptions for Winston Boulevard, between Franklin Boulevard and Alona Avenue. Winston resident John Fiddler said the apron parking doesn’t work for houses like his along Winston, because driveways drop down to a basement garage.

The driveway apron is long, however, so he wanted to park perpendicular to the street instead of parallel to the street.

There’ only five metres of space between the road and sidewalk, when city parking spot standards call for 5.5 metres, said George Elliott, city engineering commissioner. That means vehicle bumpers will likely overhang the sidewalk, or the travelled portion of the road.

“People are confused, very confused” about overlapping rules around overnight and end-of-driveway parking permissions, said Coun. Rick Cowsill, who represents Hespeler on city council.

The Winston parking issue returns to council Sept. 12, after staff take another look at how to give residents a safe place to park extra vehicles overnight.

Commenting is closed.

On-street parking enforcement blitz angers Hespeler homeowners

NewsAug 10, 2011Waterloo Region Record

CAMBRIDGE — City parking police are targeting cars parked along Werstine Terrace boulevards even though they have no other place to park, two residents say.

The city recently approved “lower boulevard parking” for the east Hespeler street. That allows homeowners to park across the end of their driveways, on the city-owned concrete apron between the road and sidewalk.

It doesn’t work on half of the street, said angry homeowner John Friesen, who says he’s ticketed over and over again. Many houses on the looping street have shared driveways with neighbours — which doesn’t allow for the lower-boulevard parking option.

City hall ordered parking commissionaires to issue $21 tickets to anyone who parks across the end of a shared driveway, he said.

“I pay the same property tax as my neighbours. Why am I being treated as second class?” Friesen told city council Monday.

Homes on Werstine were built with short driveways and small garages. Most residents are commuters with families using several cars, he said. It’s about a kilometre north of the Townline Road interchange with Highway 401.

Werstine neighbour Robert Lanigan was also peeved by the arbitrary parking rules in front of city-approved, three-bedroom houses encouraging multi-car families.

Illegal parking on nearby streets is ignored while tickets fly on Werstine, he said.

“Council needs to have all the information before it makes a decision about how it will treat you and all your neighbours,” he said.

Council also put off a vote on expanded overnight parking exemptions for Winston Boulevard, between Franklin Boulevard and Alona Avenue. Winston resident John Fiddler said the apron parking doesn’t work for houses like his along Winston, because driveways drop down to a basement garage.

The driveway apron is long, however, so he wanted to park perpendicular to the street instead of parallel to the street.

There’ only five metres of space between the road and sidewalk, when city parking spot standards call for 5.5 metres, said George Elliott, city engineering commissioner. That means vehicle bumpers will likely overhang the sidewalk, or the travelled portion of the road.

“People are confused, very confused” about overlapping rules around overnight and end-of-driveway parking permissions, said Coun. Rick Cowsill, who represents Hespeler on city council.

The Winston parking issue returns to council Sept. 12, after staff take another look at how to give residents a safe place to park extra vehicles overnight.

Commenting is closed.

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On-street parking enforcement blitz angers Hespeler homeowners

NewsAug 10, 2011Waterloo Region Record

CAMBRIDGE — City parking police are targeting cars parked along Werstine Terrace boulevards even though they have no other place to park, two residents say.

The city recently approved “lower boulevard parking” for the east Hespeler street. That allows homeowners to park across the end of their driveways, on the city-owned concrete apron between the road and sidewalk.

It doesn’t work on half of the street, said angry homeowner John Friesen, who says he’s ticketed over and over again. Many houses on the looping street have shared driveways with neighbours — which doesn’t allow for the lower-boulevard parking option.

City hall ordered parking commissionaires to issue $21 tickets to anyone who parks across the end of a shared driveway, he said.

“I pay the same property tax as my neighbours. Why am I being treated as second class?” Friesen told city council Monday.

Homes on Werstine were built with short driveways and small garages. Most residents are commuters with families using several cars, he said. It’s about a kilometre north of the Townline Road interchange with Highway 401.

Werstine neighbour Robert Lanigan was also peeved by the arbitrary parking rules in front of city-approved, three-bedroom houses encouraging multi-car families.

Illegal parking on nearby streets is ignored while tickets fly on Werstine, he said.

“Council needs to have all the information before it makes a decision about how it will treat you and all your neighbours,” he said.

Council also put off a vote on expanded overnight parking exemptions for Winston Boulevard, between Franklin Boulevard and Alona Avenue. Winston resident John Fiddler said the apron parking doesn’t work for houses like his along Winston, because driveways drop down to a basement garage.

The driveway apron is long, however, so he wanted to park perpendicular to the street instead of parallel to the street.

There’ only five metres of space between the road and sidewalk, when city parking spot standards call for 5.5 metres, said George Elliott, city engineering commissioner. That means vehicle bumpers will likely overhang the sidewalk, or the travelled portion of the road.

“People are confused, very confused” about overlapping rules around overnight and end-of-driveway parking permissions, said Coun. Rick Cowsill, who represents Hespeler on city council.

The Winston parking issue returns to council Sept. 12, after staff take another look at how to give residents a safe place to park extra vehicles overnight.